Vriska: Fix Mistakes
by Falconflight
Summary: Your name is VRISKA SERKET and you have ALL OF ETERNITY to ponder your MISTAKES. Good thing you've got a lot of those, right?
1. Vriska: Recieve Mission

**_***hides behind shield* I'm sure I don't need this thing, but this is my first story in a new fandom, so a couple precautions can't hurt. As I said, this is my first fanfic here, though I have done a bit of reading. With any luck, I'll have support for this crazy AU idea of mine. Yes, this is an AU, though it doesn't fall into a particular category like Humanstuck or Highschoolstuck. The only thing I tweaked was the concept of dream bubbles, and only for one specific character: Vriska. Basically, instead of Vriska (who, for the purposes of now and this fanfic, we will refer to as Alpha Vriska, sort of like Alpha Dave) dying when Terezi stabbed her, her subconscious began to exist in the same plane as the dream bubbles but not within the dream bubbles themselves. This means that she, like all the trolls who are still alive, can visit dream bubbles but has no control of which ones she visits. Unlike the trolls who are still alive, she cannot exist outside of them, which means Alpha Vriska is constantly jumping from dream bubble and become Beta Vriska (the dead Vriskas who exist within the dream bubbles) and then leaving. This would make her like a traveling Beta Vriska, except that Alpha Vriska has all the memories of her real life self, which means that she's consciously aware of all the mistakes that she has made. That being said, that happens to be what this entire fanfic is about, although it may not seem this way in this first chapter. I apologize for that. With any luck, this will get better and more interesting later on. I just sort of needed to establish a basis for the plot, which means just please try to endure my crappy second-person writing so that you understand what's happening next chapter. Please enjoy and leave a review. A nice one, preferably.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1- Vriska: Receive mission.<strong>

You have another massive headache. Of all the places to be banished for your atrocious crimes, why had Fate chosen to send you to a place without aspirin? You decide that the headache is simply because of the heat and that you do not need the human miracle known as aspirin; you just need some water. Unfortunately, simply needing something does not make Fate any more inclined to send you to a dream bubble with water in it; you had found that out long ago. Knowing that there's nothing you can do to control what goes on around you does not make you any less angry about it, though. You're still stuck in the damn desert dream bubble, and you're still pretty damn upset about it.

You continue walking through the deserted desert. The sun bears down on you like a giant golden eye and briefly reminds you of your god tier outfit, which you haven't worn in perigees. Or maybe it's been sweeps; you lost grasp on the passage of time long ago. Time doesn't matter when you have longer than forever to travel between dream bubbles, though.

This particular dream bubble bothers you very much. You haven't met any of your dead comrades here yet, or anyone, for that matter. The silence is very unnerving; dream bubbles are usually full of lucky douches who get many shots at reliving their lives. You've seen trolls and humans alike who got to die peacefully but live on as figments within the dream bubbles. They have the luxury of peace, which is something that you haven't had for awhile. You envy the fact that they get to continuing living without the mistakes of their real selves. Your mistakes have followed you here, and they refuse to leave, no matter how many times you've tried to get rid of them.

You're thoughts are interrupted as you here footsteps. You look around, but the desert remains as still and undisturbed as ever. You can see you trail of footsteps stretching across the span of golden sand. If there actually was someone else here, it would be easy for them to follow you.

"Vriska!"

You turn around again, and this time, you find yourself face to face with another troll. It is not one of your friends; you have never seen this troll before. She has blue eyeliner that surrounds her dead white eyes, blue lipstick, a blue dress with a white Scorpio sign, a black belt, and a white necklace that has Karkat's symbol on it. She also has horns exactly like yours…

"Thank troll Jegus I finally caught up with you!" she exclaims.

You grimace; you really don't want to deal with this troll. "I don't know who you are, but I'm not your Vriska, so leave me alone."

If the troll still had pupils, you imagine she'd be rolling her eyes. "I know you're not the Vriska from this dream bubble."

You frown. This troll has successfully piqued your interests. "You do?"

"Yes. Of coooooooourse you aren't!" the troll insists. "You're Alpha Vriska."

You aren't quite sure what the 'alpha' part means, but if she's referring to the fact that you have all the memories of your real self, then yes, you are Alpha Vriska. You are still not sure what this troll wants, though, or who she is. She is obviously familiar with you.

"And who are you?" you demand.

"I am Aranea," she explains. "I've come here to give you a chance to be free."

You arch an eyebrow quizzically. "What do you mean? This sounds highly suspicious."

"Do you ever get tired of being Alpha Vriska?" Aranea asks.

"I get tired of not being able to just die and move on," you admit. You're not sure why you're telling this random girl, but you'll never see her again after you leave this dream bubble, so it doesn't matter anyway.

"What if you could move on?"

You laugh bitterly. "Sorry, Deadfangs, but I've already tried suicide. It doesn't work. I'm not moving on any time soon."

"Well what if you could?" Aranea repeats. You can hear a growing frustration in her voice.

"That would be awesome," you respond. "But I can't. You're magic dead powers can't change Fate."

"There's something that can, though," Aranea insists.

You don't reply at first. You're head is whirling through different possibilities. What if you could finally move on? What if she's just pulling your robotic arm, though? She could be tricking you; she could just be getting your hopes up for nothing. But what if she's not? Then you could have an actual chance to move on from this eternal hellhole.

"And what is this powerful thing that can change Fate?" you ask.

"It's a task," Aranea explains. "A task that, if fulfilled, will allow Alpha Vriska to finally die. You will be able to move on, and any trace of Vriska will be only in dream bubbles."

It is a fairly tempting deal. "And what is this task?"

You can see a slight smirk forming on Aranea's blue lips. "How many of your original troll friends were left when you died?"

You frown. These were not statistics you often thought about, mostly because they are severely depressing to think about. "Karkat, Kanaya, Terezi, Sollux, and Gamzee." Only five. The revelation makes your heart hurt.

"How many of those deaths were your fault?" Aranea asks.

"Just Tavros and Aradia!" you exclaimed indignantly. "And it wasn't even my fault for Aradia's death this time around! She chose to explode herself! Is that why I'm here? Because I killed a couple people?"

"You also blinded Terezi," Aranea reminds you.

You are about to protest that you had had a good reason for blinding Terezi, but you realize that you're getting off topic. You want to find out what this damn task is so you can get it done and finally be rid of this hellhole.

"What does this even have to do with anything?" you demand.

"It has to do with your task," Aranea answers.

"Which is?" you ask. You are becoming severely vexed by these riddles.

"You have to create the perfect session," she explains. "There are ample dream bubbles in here where you have not yet made your biggest mistakes, and maybe if you change them, then everything will go right when you play the game."

"What difference would it make?" you demand. "How will my dream bubble affect the real world?"

Aranea's smirk widens. "This is your real world now, and it always will be unless you can fix your mistakes."

You keep staring at her. How can she say that like it's that simple? It will take forever to fix every single mistake you ever made! It may take even longer to find a dream bubble that actually takes place before your session. You wonder: is it really worth it? Would it be easier just to accept your punishment and live forever, traveling from dream bubble to dream bubble?

"This would be easier, you know."

You blink at Aranea, who is staring at you with her white dead eyes. Did she just read your mind?

"You're a very easy troll to read, Vriska," Aranea explains. "Either that, or I'm just really good at it." She shrugs offhandedly. "Not like it matters. This will be our only meeting. I need to know whether you accept your task or not."

You hesitate once more. "Yes. I do accept this task," you finally say.

The smirk on Aranea's face transforms into a genuine smile. As you try to decipher exactly what that smile means, her image begins to blur along with the desert surrounding you. As the dream bubble continues to blur and fade out of existence, you can't help but wonder if you have committed the rest of your life (which, simply put, is forever) to doing an impossible task.


	2. Vriska: Spam Aradia

_**I should probably explain something to you guys about my fanfics as well as my life right now. My life is hectic as hell, and my fanfic updating schedule is like the continuity in Karkat's memos: nonexistent. I update whenever I realize 'oh shit, I haven't updated this in thirteen days!'. I try to update at least once a week, though school life/after school life has been fucking that up miserably. So, please try and bear through my sporatic updates as well as any OOCness in Vriska's personality. I'm still trying to find the line between old bitchy Vriska and new more mature Vriska.**_

_**Edit: I guess this story can no longer really be considered as actually happening in any way, shape or form given the most recent panels where Gamzee prototypes Vriska's body, Tavros' body and Tavros' legs with Jane's kernel sprite. I really want to keep writing this, however. This is an AU, after all, which means it doesn't really matter if I stray a bit from the canon path. For the purposes of this fanfic, we're just going to say that Fate had not predicted the actions of the illusive Bard of Rage and did not realize that Vriska was going to get a shot at redemption anyway. While the majority of Vriska now lives inside a kernel sprite (with Tavros), a small part of Vriska's subconscious remains in the same plane as the dream bubbles. She won't remember any events that happen after her death, so she won't realize that her Alpha self is still alive and shares a body with Tavros. This goes for any canon events that happen involving Vriska (or Tavrisprite)..**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2- Vriska: Spam Aradia<strong>

When the desert completely fades and the dream bubble takes on a new form, you instantly recognize the familiar warmth of your respiteblock. It is always comforting to return to a familiar place, and it makes it easier to figure you when you are. Then, you notice someone is angrily messaging you on your husktop. Curious, you walk over to the desk and open up Trollian. It seems that Vantas has been spamming you for the past five minutes; you try to recall a time when Karkat had shown this much interest in contacting you.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

CG: FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING BITCH!

CG: I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEV YOU!

CG: ALL THIS REVENGE OVER A DAMN GAME!

You instantly think of Sgrub, but you can't possibly be playing Sgrub yet. Your arm is very much in tact, and you remember the majority of the conversations you had while playing that game. Karkat is most likely referring to FLARP, which means he's talking about Tavros, Terezi or Aradia. And since you still have a left arm, you have a pretty good idea about what this conversation is going to be about.

CG: YOU'RE LUCKY I DIDN'T DECIDE TO LET SOLLUX USE HIS PSIONIC POWERS TO CRUSH YOUR HIVE AND KILL YOU.

CG: IT'S NOTHING LESS THAN WHAT YOU DESERVE.

This confirms your suspicions. This is about Aradia. You grimace; you're feelings about Aradia are incredibly conflicted ones. You don't regret killing her that much, seeing as she got to come back in the end anyway.

CG: I MEAN I UNDERSTAND PICKING A FIGHT WITH HER. SHE DID SEND SPIRITS AFTER YOU.

CG: BUT KILLING HER? THAT'S PRETTY LOW, EVEN FOR A MANIPULATIVE BITCH LIKE YOURSELF.

CG: AND USING SOLLUX TO DO IT? THE IRONY OF THAT IS INDESCRIBABLY CRUEL.

CG: SOLLUX AND I ARE COMING TO YOUR HIVE, AND I EXPECT YOU TO APOLOGIZE.

That is where the message ends. You grimace as you remember what had happened in the Alpha Timeline. You had tactless gloated about what had happened, and Sollux had almost killed you with his crazy-ass psionic powers. If it hadn't been for Karkat, he probably would have. This day is not one of your finer memories of your old life. You decide that this will be your chance to try and change things, which is what you're supposed to do according to Aranea. Trying to make things right is apparently your duty now. You laugh bitterly to yourself. Duty lost its meaning a loooooooong time ago.

There is a knock outside your hive. You regain your composure and walk down the long and winding staircase. You pause at the window, but the doomsday device has yet to be created. You briefly wonder if not creating will save your lusus. You doubt it; from what you have gathered, no amount of precautions could or can save the lusii.

The knocking outside gets louder and more impatient, so you turn away from the window and continue your descent down the stairs. You reach the bottom and open the door. Karkat is standing in front of you with his arms crossed, and Sollux is behind him. You can see bursts of psionic power crackling angrily around his bi-colored glasses.

"Karkat. Li –" You are about to address Sollux by the nickname you had created for him while wandering through dream bubbles (Lispyfangs), but you stop. Sollux has no need for your wit right now. "Sollux. Come in." You step back and open the door wider.

Karkat looks slightly surprised by your hospitality but comes in anyway. Sollux stands in the doorframe glaring at your hive like it is toxic.

Karkat rolls his eyes. "Come on, Sollux."

"No," Karkat snaps stubbornly. "I refuthe."

You consider making him cone into your hive, but that sounds like a way to provoke Sollux, which is the exact opposite of what you want to do. Instead, you wait patiently as Karkat walks out and forces Sollux inside. Sollux doesn't fight back aside from not willingly moving, but still doesn't look too pleased about the idea of coming in.

When Sollux is completely in, Karkat slams the door behind them. "I'm not going to auspisticize between you two because I agree with Sollux, but you need to apologize so I can get the fuck out of your creepy web hive."

The witty insults flood your think pan, but you shove all of them back. Your sarcasm will do you no good in this situation. "What do you want me to say?" you ask.

"I –" Karkat begins, but you cut him off.

"I was talking to Sollux." You turn away from Karkat, and, despite your not-so-valiant efforts, your mocking sides gets the best of you. "What can I say that will heal the hole in your chest?" you ask in a patronizing tone.

You can feel Sollux glaring at you behind his glasses. "Nothing you say will bring AA back," he hisses and turns away from you. "KK, why the fuck are we even thtill here?"

Karkat looks slightly puzzled. "I thought if Serket apologized –"

"You thought wrong," Sollux interrupts.

The red and blue sparks surrounding Sollux's eyes grow larger, and a multi-colored halo surrounds the doorknob. He wrenches the door open, and the only sound as he storms out are his black and white shoes clacking on the floor.

You sneer against your better instinct. "Is he always this much of an ass? I had never really noticed."

"He wouldn't have to be such an ass if you could just grow up!" Karkat snarls. He leaves as well after that.

You grimace; you had once again screwed this moment up. You wonder if you will ever be able to return to this moment in a dream bubble and do it right. You wonder if it is even possible for you to do it right; your bitchy side always gets the best of you in the end. You do suppose that it had gone better than it had in the Alpha Timeline, though. Sollux hadn't tried to kill you this time, but looking back on it as you walk back upstairs, you realize that it is going to take you a very long time to clean up your act.

When you reach your respiteblock, you discover that Fussyfangs has been pestering you. You groan as you think of all the meddlesome lectures you are about to endure. The first time, you hadn't had the energy to answer after Sollux had attacked you. You have often wondered what speeches she had had planned for you, and you suppose this is your chance to find out.

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

GA: Why Vriska

AG: You heard a8out what happened?

GA: Yes And I Cannot Fathom Why You Would Do Such A Thing

GA: You Killed A Troll In A Petty Game Of Revenge That Stemmed From Your Own Selfish Actions

AG: S8ve your 8reath, Fussyfangs. I've already heard this speech from Karkat.

GA: I Believe You Need To Hear It Again

GA: Your Actions Have Directly Resulted In The Permanent Paralysis Of Tavros And Aradias Death

GA: It Should Not Come As A Surprise To You That Everyone Will Be Banning You On Trollian Until A More Appropriate Punishment Is Decided

You remember being banned by all of your fellow trolls. You were not contacted by anybody for at least a perigee after you killed Aradia. Terezi was the only exception, though. She decided to talk to you, and her ignorance had lead to the loss of your eye and arm. In a way, her blindness is sort of her own fault. This isn't an appropriate time to pin blame for an event that hasn't even happened yet in this dream bubble, though.

AG: You're pro8a8ly right.

GA: I Will Admit That I Was Not Expecting You To Comply

GA: I Was Specifically Chosen To Deliver This Message Since I Am The Most Qualified To Pacify You Should You Decide To Fight The Decision

AG: I'm actually sort of relieved.

AG: I'd rather 8e 8anned than ignored.

GA: I Suppose That Is A Good Thing To Hear

GA: I Need To Depart Now

GA: I Shall Talk To You Again In A Few Weeks

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] blocked arachnidsGrip [AG]

A part of you knows that your next conversation with Kanaya actually happens much sooner, as she decided to open communications with you to keep you from attacking anybody else in your chain of revenge. There is no need to think about events that haven't even happened yet, though, so you close the message and parce through the five new messages telling you of various trolls blocking you. You are not surprised that Terezi hasn't blocked you, but you are surprised when you see the last message:

apocalypseArisen [AA] blocked arachnidsGrip [AG]

You know that Aradia had become a ghost in the Alpha Timeline and was therefore able to access her Trollian, but you had not been expecting the process to happen so quickly. How the hell does she even have a computer?

arachnidsGrip [AG] began trolling apocalypseArisen [AA]

AG: …Aradia?

apocalypseArisen [AA] unblocked arachnidsGrip [AG]

AA: did y0u think i was dead

You glare at the screen. You hadn't really wanted to talk to Aradia. A conversation seems inevitable now, though. Damn it.

AG: You are dead, Megido.

AA: i w0nt stay this way th0ugh

AA: i will 0ne day live again

You frown. Yes, Aradia had entered Aradiabot, but Aradiabot had exploded, and that hadn't really been living anyway. What was Aradia talking about?

AG: Says who?

AA: the spirits

AA: and when i d0 c0me back I am c0ming straight f0r y0u Serket

AA: heed my warning

AA: I am n0t 0kay with being dead and i will have my revenge

apocalypseArisen [AA] reblocked arachnidsGrip [AG]

You continue to glare at the rust-red text. You don't remember having this conversation either, but it would have explained a lot, like why she used her robot abilities to kick your ass. Megido's desire for revenge had been what got you to God Tier, though.

AG: I want to thank you ahead of time, then.

AG: God Tier is awesome. ;;;;)

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Oh well. It's not like it really matters whether or not you get my message thanking you.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Just don't be surprised if you don't get a thank you from future God Tier me.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Ha. I'm totally spamming up your account and you don't even realize it.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Haaaaaaa. I could say whatever I want and you wouldn't realize it.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Equius programs your robot to have flushed feelings for him.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: You use your Maid of Time powers to make, like, hundreds of alternate yous.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Only one survives, though.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: And then she explodes!

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Isn't that saaaaaaaad?

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Why am I even asking you? It's not like you received any of these messages.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: This is getting 8oring!

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: I think I'm going to leave soon.

apocalypseArisen [AA] did not receive message.

AG: Oh w8. This dream 8u88le is f8ding anyway.

arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] because arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased to exist in the same timeline as apocalypseArisen [AA]


	3. Karkat: Flip Your Shit

_**I told you I sucked at updating, right? **_

_**Also, a note about this particular chapter and all to follow: The title of this chapter may lead you to believe that this is from Karkat's POV. This is not true. All chapters will be from Vriska's POV; I chose to name the title after Karkat because I feel it better summarizes the chapter than, say 'Vriska: Aggravate Karkat' or 'Vriska: Be a bitch'. We'd have too many chapter titles like that if that if I stuck to just doing Vriska commands, so there will be others thrown in. I'm also choosing to not end this dream bubble immediatly; there are particular elements of this chapter that I want to continue writing about next chapter. Lastly, please ignore any spelling mistakes when Karkat is using caps lock. For some reason, my spell check just sort of ignores anything written in any caps, so there are most likely some spelling errors.**_

_**Also (last thing, I swear) some friends and I went to a mall today cosplaying as Homestuck kids (Alpha and Beta). I was Jade because I didn't get to choose who I was (I am not a Jade. At all), but I got to call our Jake 'grandpa', which was amusing.**_

**_Oh, and we're ignoring the update where the say that there's a troll afterlife on the pink moon, okay?_**

* * *

><p><strong>Karkat: Flip your shit.<strong>

Everything hurts when you open your eyes again. You notice quickly that this is not actually the case; you only open one eye. The other is gone, and so is your left arm. You note the lack of eye-patch and robot arm, as well as a bandage that has turned cobalt-blue wrapped around your stump of an arm. Though you do not instantly recognize where you are, you have a fairly good idea of when you are. When you notice the pile of shitty robots in the corner, your location is confirmed as well.

Your neighbor walks into the room carrying a glass of milk. You smirk slightly at him. "Did you plan on breaking that glass too?"

Though Equius is wearing his cracked shades, his surprise is obvious. "I… I was planning on giving it to you. I admit that I was not aware that you were awake."

"I've only been awake for a minute," you mutter dismissively. "So, what am I doing in your Hive, Equius?"

"Uh…" Sweat beads begin to form on his forehead. "I heard an explosion from your Hive, and I took it upon myself to examine the situation. You had fainted from blood loss when I found you, and I took the liberty of taking you back to my Hive to wait until you recovered." He wipes his brow nervously. "I hope you don't mind."

You shake your head. "Thank you."

Equius had clearly not been expecting any form of thanks for his efforts. "Oh… you're welcome, Serket." There is a long and incredibly awkward pause. "If you do not mind me prying, what was that explosion?"

You get a bitter taste in your mouth. "It was one of my magic eight balls," you reply vaguely. "It was indirectly Terezi's fault."

Equius' frown deepens. "Is this a part of your FLARP revenge circle? Because if it is, I would prefer to not become involved in any way."

You chuckle slightly. "That's a wise decision. You're smarter than Terezi and Aradia."

"I noticed your arm…" Equius drifts off and starts to squirm uncomfortably, as if out of fear that he has broached a sore subject. "I was thinking, perhaps, that I could make you a… replacement."

For the sake of not confusing Equius, you pretend you don't know what he's talking about. "A replacement?" you echo.

"It wouldn't be an actual arm," he explains. "As you know, I have a specialty with mechanics. Robots, specifically."

You look around at the destroyed robots in the room. "You don't say."

"I could create you a robot arm," Equius states. "It would be a favor, one blue-blood to another."

"I would be very grateful if you did that." For a couple nights, anyway. "Do you happen to have an eye patch?"

"No," Equius replies. "Sorry."

"That's okay." You shrug. "Kanaya will probably be more than willing to make one for me."

"How can you ask Maryam to make it for you when she has blocked you?" Equius asks.

You shrug. You know that Kanaya will unblock you later today, but that has yet to happen. "I'll visit her Hive."

Suddenly, there is a loud knock at the door. A very loud, impatient, angry knock. "EQUIUS, I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW, KANAYA IS GOING TO DESTROY IT WITH HER CHAINSAW," someone shouts outside.

"I wonder what Vantas and Maryam want," Equius mutters. "It is not like them to spontaneously visit."

"You better go find out unless you want to lose your door," you suggest. You know why Karkat and Kanaya are here; they're here to tell you that Terezi is blind and that it's your fault. You briefly wonder how many more boring lectures you will have to endure in these dream bubbles.

Equius walks towards the door and opens it. As soon as it is open, Karkat barges into his Hive without saying anything. Kanaya follows behind him and quietly thanks Equius. Karkat sees you instantly, and if looks could kill (and you could actually die), you would be dead multiple times over. A part of you sort of wishes that would happen, but a stronger part of you prefers to not think about such depressing and suicidal thoughts.

"What happened to you?" Kanaya asks.

"We're not here to talk about Vriska," Karkat snaps back at her instantly.

"Karkat, she is missing an eye and an arm, and although she has done some atrocious things in the past perigee, we would be just as bad as her to not address her injuries," Kanaya reminds him.

"She's killed two of our friends in the past perigee!" Karkat snarls. "Two!"

You frown. "Two?"

"Yes," Karkat hisses through gritted fangs. "Your murder attempt on Terezi succeeded; you must be so fucking overjoyed."

You come to the conclusion that past you really fucked this one up. You can't just tell Karkat and Kanaya that you hadn't meant to kill Terezi. The best thing to do is pretend you had suffered a bump to the head (which you had) and can't remember the details of what had happened.

Luckily for you, Equius decides to do something useful for once and speaks up in your defense. "Vantas, my neighbor has been unconscious for several hours; it is more likely than not that she does not clearly remember the details of this… unfortunate accident."

"THIS WASN'T A FUCKING ACCIDENT!" Karkat shouts, throwing his arms up in the air for emphasis. "THIS WAS A RESULT OF THIS FUCKING REVENGE CIRCLE THING, AND THAT BITCH," Karkat jabs his finger at you, "KILLED TEREZI ON PURPOSE."

"Karkat," Kanaya murmurs, putting a hand on Karkat's shoulder. "Calm down." Karkat shoots her a scathing glare but drops his arms back to his sides. "Vriska, do you remember attacking Terezi? Is she the reason that your arm is gone?"

"And my eye," you mutter. "Yeah. It was all her fault, although being unconscious for the past couple hours has made the memories of my revenge plan a little fuzzy. Karkat, could you, in explicit detail, remind me what happened to your matesprit?"

The look on Karkat's face is absolutely priceless; he looks like he is about to scream his ass off at you. You almost wish he would so you can add it to your list of things that trolls have said to you when you've pissed them off (which is, as of now, not created, but since you have all of eternity, you might as well start sometime soon), but Fussyfangs interrupts as soon as he opens his mouth.

"Vriska, you are in no position to be provoking Karkat," she snaps. "If you are truly suffering from head trauma, then I shall remind you of what happened today. However, please refrain from purposely aggravating Karkat."

"I'll try," you promise in the most insincere voice you can muster.

"Like hell you will," Karkat mutters.

"She only attacks you because you react; you should shut up too," Kanaya commands. Karkat looks like he wants to bite Kanaya, but he eventually sighs and folds his arms tight across his chest. Kanaya turns back to you. "Tavros was the one who told us that this little… escapade was orchestrated by you."

"Why am I not surprised that Toreadumbass spilled the beans?" you wonder to yourself.

Kanaya is also bristling with fury now. "This is no time for your bitchy jibes. Now quit interrupting or I will not tell you what happened."

"Fine. I'll be quiet," you lie.

"Maybe I should get some duct tape," Karkat suggests.

"Will both of you please refrain from talking?" Kanaya requests; her voice is strained with anger. Both you and Karkat nod in response, and Kanaya continues. "You manipulated Tavros and forced him to use his communing ability to control one of the wild beasts in the forest where Terezi lives. You used one of the beasts, through Tavros, to attack Terezi and kill her.

"When you passed out, you unexpectedly released your mind control on Tavros, and he was still communing with the beast, but out of free will. Tavros must have realized what had happened then, and contacted Karkat and myself to inform us."

There is a long silence after this as you allow this information to sink in. You have killed both Aradia and Terezi now, and although you know you should feel guilty, you don't. Alpha Terezi kills you in the end anyway, doesn't she? This isn't Alpha Terezi, though, and you know that a little too well. This is a Terezi whose death you are indirectly responsible for, and she has permanently ceased to exist in this dream bubble.

Even with all of this in mind, you still don't feel guilty. Maybe deep down, in the deepest pits of your cobalt-blue heart, you feel a little sorry. This is still a dream bubble, though, and that was not Alpha Terezi, and there are an infinite number of dream bubbles out there with Terezis who are alive and well.

The silence is finally broken by Equius. "I require a towel."

That's when Karkat loses it. "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT WHAT YOU REQUIRE! HOW CAN YOU EVEN BE TALKING ABOUT THAT SO DAMN CASUALLY WHEN TWO OF OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD? WHY IS THAT YOUR ONLY RESPOSNE? YOU SHOULD BE FILLING PAILS WITH INDIGO TEARS! HOW CAN YOU HAVE SUCH A CALM AND ALMOST NOT-CARING RESPONSE? ARADIA IS DEAD! TEREZI IS DEAD! AND YOUR BITCH OF NEIGHBOR THAT YOU'VE BEEN CARING FOR IS RESPONSIBLE! NOW HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR DAMN SWEATING PROBLEMS AT A TIME LIKE THIS?"

Equius looks absolutely flustered; his entire face is painted indigo, and perspiration lines his gray face. "I apologize for his behavior," Kanaya speaks up immediately. "This is a rather… emotional time for Karkat. I think I shall be escorting him back to his Hive now."

"I DON'T NEED A FUCKING ESCORT! YOU'RE NOT MY FUCKING LUSUS!" Karkat screams back at her.

Ignoring Karkat's shouted protests, Kanaya drapes an arm around him and leads him from Equius' Hive, still yelling obscenities at the top of his lungs. The door slams behind them, and Equius looks absolutely terrified. You're really not sure why; you found that little display to be incredibly amusing.

"What did I say that was so offensive?" he wonders aloud.

You shrug. The movement feels a little awkward due to your lack of a left arm, but you try your best to ignore it. "I don't think any of us understand what goes on in Karkat's think pan."

Equius nods, and there is another very long silence. "I really do need a towel."

"Well, go get one before you drown in your own sweat," you reply.

"I will be back shortly," he states before running off.

"Take all the time you need. It's not like I have anything better to do than to sit here and wait for you to finish drying yourself off." _Until the dream bubble changes._


End file.
